We, DD-8, DW, me flew home today and I will elaborate.
This was our first time eating there, I had read a good bit of information and we had looked over the menu. My DW has celiac, and is lactose and soy intolerant. We were on the deluxe dining plan and all dining credits were used for table service restaurants. We ate breakfast in the room a few times, and used 2 credits at the Castle, Artist Point, and Cali Grill.
At Every other restaurant, the chef came out soon after we were sat and discussed the menu with my wife and then He or She brought DW's food out. We arrived 10 minutes before our 6:55 adr and went up the elevator. We were given a pager and sat and looked over the menu. We were shown to our table at 7.
At 7:18 (I looked before I got up) I got up to find a server. After a few steps, what turned out to be our waiter made a beeline and caught me before I got too far. He asked if we had been there before, the answer was no, and we told him we were eating our last table service meal and going to use the last of our credits since we were leaving in the morning and had heard good things about the Cali. He said we were in for a treat and everything would be great. He handed DW a listing of sushi appetizer options and she handed it right back and let him know that should would not have sushi, no way no how. He then insisted on telling her all the lovely sushi options she could have on that menu and she again reiterated that there was no way she was having sushi. He then pointed out some sushi options to me, I was going to try the spicy kazaan (sp) going in, but listened to all the options. He took our drink order then. I ordered a bottle of wine for us from the regular menu (after disregarding him twice trying to hand me the wine book with the more expensive bottles) and a beer for me to start, DD ordered pineapple juice.
After a bit the chef came over and while he was unsure of a few things (if a few items has soy) he gave a good impression. The waiter came back with the wrong juice, apple (which we corrected), and asked if I had made a beer selection.
I said yes, the one I ordered. He looked blankly, then saw on his notes I had ordered. He left and after a bit came back to take entree orders. My wife had ordered through the chef, but as with the other places, needed to tell him what she was having so everyone was on the same page. She ordered a chicken dish with the chicken prepared 2 ways, I believe it was pan roasted and then a selection made into a chicken sausage. I ordered a simple filet, medium rare.
A different server (not the chef as in every other restaurant) brought out DW's gluten free rolls. While this may seem like a small point to some, get cross-contaminated sometime and then we can talk. DW is very sensitive. Our waiter came back with the wrong beer for me and after I pointed this out, asked if I wanted to try that one.
I said no thanks, I'll take what I ordered.
As an aside, our server had 2 other tables. A 6 top, that had been cleared soon after we arrived and re-sat a bit after and a 2-top. I saw him at no other tables. The table in front of me was a 2 top that got seated after us, and another 2 top was behind us that also was seated after. They both had different servers.
After a bit, a different server brought out appetizers (not the chef for DW like every other restaurant, even the Plaza and Liberty Tree). Our server then brought the correct beer for me and a plate that he said was "in case I wanted to share my sushi with DW". Really?
The projection show was going on at the castle and we ate and watched what we could see from there. He cleared the plates and Wishes started. ALL the tables around received food during Wishes, we did not. Wishes ended. The table in front and behind were eating their entrees. The 6-top had their appetizers cleared and we sat. My DW meals sometimes take a little longer, but the chef had assured us that in this instance, this would not be the case, since very little modification was needed.
At 9:10 I was getting up to find a manger, since our server was a ghost, and saw a person in a suit, along with another server bringing the 6-top their entrees. As he started to walk away from the table, I said excuse me. He came over and I asked him if he could check if we were going to get our food tonight. The 2-top in front and behind, that were both sat after us, were finishing dessert. We were all very hungry at this point and getting pretty frustrated.
He went into the kitchen, came back to the expediter station, went back in the kitchen, came back to the station and he and another server, not ours, grabbed our plates and came over. (Again, not the chef who was standing nearby in the kitchen). He said sorry and they put the plates down and walked away with not even seeing if we might need anything else.
MY DD had ordered pasta and marinara sauce. It was very dry and after we dug to the bottom, we found some she could eat. My filet had a one time been cooked to close to the proper temperature, but had been sitting so long that most of the moisture was gone. One part of DW's chicken was ok at best, the sausage could barely be cut it was so tough and dry.
The other 2 tops were long gone at this point. The 6-top was close to done and a few of them were looking at dessert menus.
I was not about to send back my filet when it had already taken an inordinate amount of time to even get what I had, who knows how long a replacement would have taken. DW found enough decent chicken to eat and DD ate some rolls which I asked another server to bring her and I.
At this point, the two-2 tops are gone and tables reset, the 6 top has placed dessert orders and I was cutting steak up and making sure I took a drink each bite to wash it down. Server has not been seen and it's 9:40. He eventually came over after I had stacked plates and took them away. He came back to talk dessert and since DD wanted to have something I also ordered, DW was offered no options other than sorbet. (At Be Our Guest, The Plaza, Artist Point, and Raglan Road, she was offered other options).
I ordered a strawberry shortcake type dessert and the strawberrys and ice cream were fine, the biscuit was a hockey puck. DD had cookies and cream and the cookies were fine. I had included that we were celebrating her b'day on this trip so the server brought over a creme brulee with a candle in it. That was nice, but the brulee tasted box made to me. (We have a local fine dining place where she always gets that and loves it.)
The server came over and said they were going to take off 4 dining credits for the meal and only charge us 2 since we had such a wait. I told him, as I had said twice at the beginning, that this was our last night and last meal onsite so that does us no good and not to bother. We were offered no other compensation, which at that point would have been to take off the wine or 1 beer.
What other questions do you all have?
